Love Is Blind
by TheTrueMrsEdmundPevensie
Summary: "She looked into his eyes, seeing that they were full of concern, and felt her heart flutter. A feeling she usually got with Ben before all of this happened. And that's when she gained more confidence to say what she needed to say."


**A/N: FYI, this is my FIRST Baby Daddy story! I absolutely adore Riley/Danny and think that they should be endgame! (Which they probably will be) At first I liked her with Ben, and I still kind of do. But nothing can compare to Danny and his feelings for her! Seriously, how can she be so blind? Oh well, it'll only be that much more perfect when they finally get together! haha**

**Don't forget to leave a review! **

**But more importantly, don't forget to enjoy! :)**

The day had started out just like any other. Riley went to the guys' apartment with a smile on her face, ready to see Ben. And the others, of course.

But mostly Ben.

"Hey." She greeted, walking in without even knocking. Not that the people who lived there cared.

"Riley!" Ben exclaimed, running over to her. He looked relieved to have her there, which only made her heart flutter. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Reason?" She questioned, closing the door behind her.

"Well, I need a favor from you."

"Oh you know I'd do anything for you." She didn't realize she had said that aloud until she saw the look on his face. So she quickly added, "I mean, don't I always?"

He smiled again, which made her fill with relief. That one was close...

"I need you to pick up Emma at day care today."

"Wait, why can't you do it?" She asked, making her way over to the couch to set her bag down.

"I have the afternoon shift today." He explained, following her. "And Danny has practice at that time. And _Tuck_," He looked at the short man who had just emerged from his bedroom. "cares more about his girlfriend of the week than my daughter."

Tucker sighed and looked at Ben. "It's not that I care more, it's just that...wait, yes, I _do_ care more."

Ben shook his head before looking at Riley again. "Can you believe him?"

"Oh Emma knows I love her." Tucker said in baby talk, looking at the little girl who was currently sitting in her high chair. "But she also understands that this is a _Victoria's Secret model_."

"Ooh, I can see his point." Riley admitted. When Ben just looked at her, she shrugged and said, "What? I'm a girl and even _I_ know that scoring a Victoria's Secret model is big."

"Thank you!" Tucker called from the kitchen.

"We're not talking to you!" Ben rolled his eyes, clearly mad at his roommate. He then turned back to Riley with a hopeful smile on his face. "So will you do it?"

She nodded. "Of course. My afternoon is free."

Ben fist pumped the air. "Thanks."

"Wait, what about your mom?" Riley questioned, taking a seat at the kitchen counter.

"Oh, she has a date with some guy she met on her online dating account." Ben explained, walking over to the fridge and pulling out two beers.

"And you're not giving _her_ a hard time?"

Ben raised his eyebrows as he set one of the bottles down in front of her. "Have you met my mom?"

"Right." Riley nodded. She then held up her beer and tapped it against Ben's just as Danny came into the room, his hockey bag in hand.

"Well, I'm off." He stated, standing next to Riley. He then looked down at her. "When did you get here?"

"When is she not here?" Tucker asked from his place at the table. "You people forget that this is _my_ apartment most of the time!"

"Calm down Prince." Danny called. When Tucker raised his eyebrows, he simply said, "Yeah, I'm talking about your height!" The tall hockey player then looked at Riley again. "You're welcome here anytime."

She smiled at him as he walked over and kissed Emma's small head. "See you guys later."

Riley watched him leave before turning back to Ben. "So, when does she need to be picked up?"

"At three." He said before taking a swig of his drink. "I really appreciate you doing this for me, Riles. You're a good friend."

He walked into his room, leaving her with a grimace on her face. "Right, _friend_." She sighed and stood up, looking at Tucker. "Bye Tuck."

He, with a mouth full of food, simply waved to her. She chuckled and grabbed her bag before exiting the apartment, Ben's words echoing in her head.

"Friend." She said under her breath. "I still _really_ hate that word!"

.

.

.

Riley smiled at the man standing in front of her. "Thanks Jack, you have _no idea_ how much this helps me."

"No problem." Jack shrugged. "It's only a little extra paperwork."

She smiled at him again, but this time it looked more grateful. "I feel bad, but I have to go pick up a friend's daughter at day care. You understand, right?"

"Of course." He smiled.

"Good." She nodded, walking with him toward the door. "I so owe you."

"Perhaps a second date?" He asked, his eyebrows raised. "Since our first one kind of..."

Riley blinked before showing him a very fake smile, which he mistook for real. "Yes, of course! We should definitely do...that!" She punched him lightly in the arm before practically power walking to the exit. "I-I'll call you!"

She didn't even look back to see his reaction, she just wanted to get out of there. Honestly, she didn't like Jack in that way anymore. He was nothing more than a friend to her, ever since their date blew up in their faces.

What a mistake _that_ was.

And part of it had to do with her crush on Ben. It wasn't fair to Jack, or anyone for that matter, to pretend to return unrequited feelings. Even if it was with Ben, she'd rather be rejected than pitied.

But she wasn't good with denying people _like _Jack. Half of it being that she didn't have much practice. Back in high school no boy was knocking down her door for a date. She blamed it on her weight, but maybe it was because she was too busy with Ben and didn't talk to others very much.

She just hoped that Jack's feelings would soon die out when she didn't do anything with them, that way she wouldn't have to turn him down.

Riley shook her head clear of those thoughts, deciding that she'd figure out what to do later. She then pulled out her phone and quickly typed,

_On my way to get Emma :)_

She sent the message to Ben and made her way to her car. But, as usual, she over analyzed what she had said to him. Should she have added that smiley face? Would he get the wrong idea? Would things be awkward between them from now on?

"Get a grip, Riley." She told herself as she sat in the driver's seat. "He probably won't even think twice about it. _Like always_."

She pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, in the direction of Emma's day care. But then she started thinking about random things, which was usual when she was behind the wheel. Her mind would just take her to a different planet and she'd space out.

Usually it wasn't a problem. She was a good driver, even subconsciously. But today, for some odd reason, she just couldn't concentrate on the road. Her attention drifted to things like what was on her grocery list or what she had to clean in her apartment. Her head just wasn't in the game today.

Riley was halfway to the day care building when she ran a red light. She was in the middle of thinking about her job interview coming up as she drove out into the middle of mid day traffic. Although the last thing she remembered seeing, after the truck to her right collided with her car, was a certain person's face.

Someone that she didn't expect to see.

And then it was black.

.

.

.

Riley woke up in an unfamiliar bed, feeling as though her brain was pounding against her skull. Was she hungover? That was the feeling she usually got after happy hour.

But this time it was so much more intense. And she didn't remember drinking. What was going on?

"Riley?" Came a very familiar voice.

She looked over to see Ben sitting in a chair beside the bed, smiling kindly at her. She furrowed her eyebrows as she registered what she was seeing.

"B-Ben?"

"Hey." He said softly, getting up and standing over her. "How're you feeling, Riles?"

"What happened?" She finally asked, holding a hand to her throbbing temple. "And why is my head killing me?"

He chuckled. "It's a bit of a long story." Just then the door to the small room opened, in walking Tucker and a person Riley had never seen before.

"Riley Perrin?" The stranger asked.

"That's me." She said, sitting up. She looked around at her surroundings. Her clothes and her bag were sitting on a table in the corner. Then there was Ben, with Tucker standing beside him.

The man smiled. "Hello, I'm Dr. Williams. It seems that you were in a nasty accident."

"What?" She asked, her eyes getting bigger.

Dr. Williams chuckled. "Don't worry, you're going to make a full recovery." He then pulled a chair up and sat down, looking at her intently. "Do you remember what happened?" She shook her head, although it hurt when she did so. The doctor nodded and said, "It's okay if you don't. Things might be a little hazy at first."

"What's the last thing you remember?" Ben asked from his spot next to Tucker.

"Um..." Riley began, closing her eyes. "I-I was on my way to get Emma." Her eyes then shot open. "Oh my God, where's Emma?"

"She's fine." Ben smiled. "She's with my mom. They're in the cafeteria right now."

Riley nodded and leaned back against the pillows, relief flooding through her. "Then that's it. I was driving to her day care. I remember a blue truck hitting me."

"Good." Dr. Williams muttered, writing something down on the clipboard in his hands. "No short term memory loss." He looked up again and smiled at her. "It was a minor accident. It could've been much worse though."

"Is the other driver okay?" Riley questioned as he stood up.

"He'll be okay." The doctor nodded. "He has a broken arm and three fractured ribs."

She felt horrible. But then she looked down at herself, searching for any injuries. "You were lucky. Nothing but a fractured wrist and few cuts." Dr. Williams explained, answering her unasked question. "Like I said, a _minor_ accident."

Riley sighed in relief as he walked toward the door. "You take care now, Miss Perrin. A nurse will be in shortly for any further questions that you have."

"Thank you." She called, making him smile at her. He then opened the door and exited, leaving only three people in the room.

"Riley, you have no idea how happy I am to see that you're okay." Ben said, chuckling in exasperation.

"Me too. I thought you were a goner!" Tucker added. Ben gave him a look, so he quickly said, "But I'm _so_ glad that you're still here."

She smiled at them. "Thanks you guys. It means a lot that you came here."

"Of course we would." Ben replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You're too important to us."

"Yeah, and we know you'd do the same for us." Tucker smiled.

Riley blushed and looked down at the blanket covering her, a smile taking up half of her face. Just then the door opened and Bonnie walked in, Emma in her arms.

"Hey Ms. Wheeler." Riley greeted.

"Riley!" Bonnie exclaimed. "You're awake!" She quickly handed Emma to Ben before going over to the woman in the bed. "I am so relieved that you're okay."

Riley smiled brighter. "Really?"

"I'm not even mad that you ruined my date with the potential future love of my life!" She laughed. Then she said, "But, you know, you owe me so..."

Riley nodded, a forced grin on her face. "There's the Bonnie Wheeler that I know." When she saw the look the older woman gave her, she quickly added, "And love!"

"Mom, stop giving her a hard time." Ben chuckled, coming over. "She _was_ just in a car crash, you know."

"Oh I know." Bonnie waved him away. She smiled down at Riley, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I really am glad that you're okay."

Riley opened her mouth to respond when suddenly they all heard a male voice out in the hall. "Where is she?" Whoever they were sounded urgent.

Not seconds later did Danny burst into the room, a look of panic on his face. His eyes fell on Riley and was next to her in an instant, looking down at her while holding her hand. "Riley, I came _as soon_ as I heard."

She smiled up at him as Ben chuckled, "Danny, she's okay."

Danny tore his gaze away from her for a second to glance at his brother, but then he was staring at her again. "Do you need anything? Whatever it is, name it and I'll get if for you."

She laughed lightly and squeezed his hand once. "Danny, like Ben said, I'm _okay_. A little dazed but..."

He sighed and sat down in the chair right beside her, not once letting go off her. "What happened?" He sounded exhausted.

"I was in a car crash." She explained. "I was on my way to get Emma and wasn't paying attention while I was driving."

He nodded in understanding when they heard a faint beep. They all looked over to see Tucker pull out his phone, then sigh. "It's Bridget." He quickly typed something before putting it away.

"You can go see her if you want to." Riley stated, but he shook his head.

"No, I'm not gonna leave. She can wait, you're what's important right now." He said firmly. She smiled at him gratefully, hearing the sincerity in his voice.

"Tuck, she's a _Victoria's Secret_ model." Riley reminded him. "Go to her. Look at me, I'm fine! And truthfully, how many chances will you get with a girl like her?"

He smirked at her words. "You're right." He looked down at his phone, then back at her. "But I wouldn't feel right-"

"I _insist_." She urged him.

He smiled at her, coming over and giving her an awkward yet sweet side hug. "Thanks. And I'll be back as soon as it's over."

She nodded and he was out the door, leaving only four people left in the room.

"Guess I better go call Tim." Bonnie sighed, standing up. "I told him I would as soon as I found out how you were."

She walked out as Riley leaned back in her bed. "Look at this, the Wheeler brothers and the world's cutest baby sitting with me in my time of need."

Danny smiled at her as Ben chuckled. "There's nowhere we'd rather be, right Emma?" He looked down at his daughter in his lap and bounced her on his knee, making her laugh. He faced Riley, smiling. "She agrees."

"Me too." Danny said. Riley looked up into his eyes, before tearing her gaze away and turning it to Emma.

"And I'm _so_ glad." She laughed, smiling at the little girl.

.

.

.

Everyone stayed until late with Riley. Tucker even came back after his date with Bridget to check in. But then he left the same time as Bonnie once it got dark.

Ben stayed a while after them, but then had to go home because of Emma's bedtime.

"We'll be back first thing tomorrow." He reassured Riley.

She just smiled at him. "Don't worry about it. I'm in good hands here." She then looked at Emma. "You just worry about getting this little girl home. And _pay_ _attention_ to the road, unlike aunt Riley here."

Ben chuckled and nodded. "Will do." He then hugged her and said, "Get some rest, alright?"

She nodded and he made Emma wave before leaving. Soon it was only Riley and Danny left.

"You could've gone with them." She said, facing the six foot tall hockey player.

He smiled and shook his head. "Nah, I'll go when you fall asleep. I have nothing else to do." Then his eyes went bigger. "Unless you want me to leave, then I'd be happy to-"

"No, Danny." She chuckled, grabbing his arm. "It's fine. I appreciate you staying here with me."

He smiled at her again, and soon they were talking about anything from hockey to politics. Which happened frequently between them. Once they started talking, no one could shut them up.

That's how comfortable they were around each other.

Then she yawned and he took that as his cue to leave. He told her he'd be back as early as possible the next day, and she thanked him for coming. He bent down and kissed her forehead before walking out.

And as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was fast asleep.

.

.

.

Riley woke up at some ungodly hour in the morning. Eyes barely open, she looked over at the digital clock on her nightstand and saw that it was 3 AM.

She sighed and rolled over to stare up at the ceiling. That's when she saw the figure in the chair out of the corner of her eye. Feeling her blood run cold out of instinct of finding a stranger in her room, she quickly sat up and narrowed her eyes to see better through the darkness.

That's when she saw Danny sprawled out on the cushioned chair in the corner. He looked uncomfortable, probably due to his ridiculous height compared to the size of the recliner, and was snoring softly.

A smile appeared on her face upon realizing who it was. She stayed quiet and just watched him for a minute, not having seen him this way before. Then her mind flew back to the accident.

She was driving, lost in her thoughts, and then the truck came. But then, before she blacked out, she saw a person's face flash before her eyes.

That person was _Danny_.

And it confused her. She'd always heard about these kind of things happening. Someone who's on the brink of death would think about that one person who completed their life, who they couldn't live without. Riley had always thought that that one person for her would be Ben.

But recent events had proven her wrong.

Danny was the person she couldn't live without? True, life without him would be hard. He was one of the things Riley looked forward to seeing every day. He definitely brought light into her life, that's for sure.

But she'd always been preoccupied with Ben, his brother. She never thought about Danny or how he made her feel. Did she love him like she loved Ben?

And that's when it hit her. She liked Ben, a lot. She had ever since they were kids. But she _loved_ Danny. She loved him with all her heart, she'd just never realized it until the accident.

She was in love with Danny.

Riley gasped at her revelation, causing Danny to wake up instantly. He looked over at her and was on his feet within a second.

"Riley? What's wrong? Are you okay?" The words seemed to tumble out of his mouth a mile a minute, but she just sat there and stared at him. Although a small smile was on her lips.

"I-I'm fine." She said softly.

He swallowed and came over, kneeling beside her bed. "Then why did you gasp like that? You scared me half to death, you know that?"

She, still staring at him, chuckled. "Sorry. I just..." She then looked away, feeling like an idiot. "I just had a dream, that's all."

He didn't notice her sudden change of behavior. "Oh." She nodded. "Well, what was it about?"

She toyed with the hem of her hospital gown. "Nothing really, i-it was stupid."

He nodded in understanding, pulling a chair over so he could see her at eye level. She watched him before asking, "Wait, what are you doing here? I thought you went home."

He suddenly found his fingers very interesting as he looked down at them. "I was going to. I mean, I was headed out the door." He met her gaze again. "But I just couldn't leave you here alone."

"Really?" She was suddenly very thankful that the only light source in the room was the moon shining in through the window, that way he couldn't see her blush.

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I know how being in a place without anyone familiar around is. One time, when I was two, my mom left me at Wal Mart all by myself."

Riley chuckled. "Yeah, she told me."

He laughed along with her before it was silent between them, nothing but the occasional nurse checking in on a patient being heard.

"Danny-"

"Riley-"

They began at the same time, then laughed when they realized it. He shook his head and said, "You go first."

She smiled. "Well, I was just going to say that I'm really glad you guys were here with me today. I don't know how I would've handled it if I were alone. So...thanks."

He gave her a half smile. "Riley, I would've been here if you wanted me or not." She laughed as she looked down at her lap. "I mean it."

She met his eyes and saw that his expression changed from humorous to serious. "You're really important to me. If something would've happened to you, and I _let_ it happen, then I-"

"Danny, even _if_ I was seriously injured, it wouldn't have been your fault." She said, interrupting him. When he still looked unconvinced, she took his hand and said, "Please, I don't want you to _ever_ blame yourself for what happens to me. Or anyone else for that matter."

"Yeah but what if-"

"There are a lot of _what ifs_." She chuckled. "But I know you. You would never let something bad happen on _purpose_."

He stared at her before a smile appeared on his face. "Riley, I'm _really_ glad something didn't happen to you." She laughed lightly as he asked, "Are you sure there isn't anything you want?"

She thought about it. "Well, now that you mention it, I _am_ kinda hungry."

He laughed and stood up. "I'll go get you something to eat. And I'll make sure it isn't crappy like _most_ hospital food."

She chuckled and thanked him as he walked toward the door. But then, as she watched him, she suddenly closed her eyes tightly and said, "No, wait. That's not what I want." He turned around with a confused look on his face. She opened her eyes and said, "Danny, there's something I need to tell you."

He smirked. "Can't it wait while I go-"

"No, it really can't." She cut him off. He saw that she was tense, so he quickly came back over and sat next to her on the bed.

"Riley, what is it?"

She looked into his eyes, seeing that they were full of concern, and felt her heart flutter. A feeling she usually got with Ben before all of this happened. And that's when she gained more confidence to say what she needed to say.

"Something...crazy happened. And I don't know how you'll take it exactly." She said hesitantly.

He smiled at her reassuringly. "You can tell me, I promise it won't change anything."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." She muttered, before taking a deep breath. "Alright, I'm just gonna say it." But then she looked at him again and chickened out. "Damn it."

"Come on." He chuckled. When she didn't look at him, he placed his hand under her chin and forced her to. "Riley, just say it."

She nodded and took another deep breath. "Have you ever heard of stories where a person is close to death, or in a situation where they think they're going to die, and then their life flashes before their eyes?"

He nodded in understanding, allowing her to continue. "Well, that sort've happened to me. During the crash."

"Sort've?" He questioned, his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah. Well, I saw a certain person before I blacked out. Their face was what kept me calm for that second that I was still conscious." She could see him tense when she described what happened in the car, only making her fall for him that much faster.

"Let me guess, it was Ben." He said. And she could've sworn he sounded disappointed.

"No, it wasn't." She admitted, seeing the surprise on his face. "I was expecting it to be him, but it wasn't."

"Really?" She nodded. "Well, then who was it?" His eyes went big. "Wait, it wasn't _Tuck_ was it?"

She chuckled and shook her head. "No, it wasn't Tuck. Although it _was_ someone..surprising."

He relaxed and waited for her to continue. She took another deep breath and, thinking once more of backing out, decided to just spit it out. Not knowing what would happen exactly.

"Danny...it was you."

At first she wasn't sure he had heard, considering he wasn't responding. Then she realized that he was in a state of shock. Something she feared would happen.

"Look, I know it's crazy. We're just friends and I've been in love with Ben basically my whole life. But, I don't know, I saw _you_. I don't understand it either, I just..." She sighed and furrowed her eyebrows. "Say something."

He finally moved again by blinking his eyes. "I..."

"I know this makes things awkward between us. We're friends and I just _had_ to screw it up by falling in love with you." His eyes fell on her in that moment. "But...that's how I feel. And I can't change it. I just hope that I won't lose you because of it-"

She was finally silenced by him pressing his lips against hers, holding her face in his big hands. Her eyes flew closed as she hesitantly kissed back, surprisingly kissing him for the second time in her life.

After a few seconds he pulled back, although he still held her face in his grasp. "That should've been our first kiss." He whispered breathlessly, smiling.

She just stared back, searching his eyes. "Danny, I-"

"I love you." He blurted out. That shut her up. "Riley, I've been in love with you since freshman year."

"Wait, what?" She asked, pulling back a bit. "Since _freshman year_?"

He chuckled, his gaze falling to the floor. "I know, it's crazy."

She was quiet before smiling. "This whole thing is crazy." He looked at her again. "Here we are, confessing our feelings to each other in a _hospital_ at," She glanced at the clock, "4 AM."

He grinned and just stared at her. "Honestly, I never thought you'd feel the same way."

She cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"Because you've always been all over Ben!" He said, sounding annoyed. "You were oblivious to what was _right in front_ of you."

She chuckled. "I guess I was." Then she grabbed his arm. "But why didn't you say anything?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Did you hear what I just said? I couldn't get you to forget about my brother long enough to tell you."

She sighed. "Who knows? If you would've told me then I _could've _realized my feelings for you sooner."

"Hey, I thought we weren't doing _what ifs_." He pointed out, making her bite her lip to contain her laughter. That made him smile as he sat down again. "I can't believe it took a _car crash_ for you to fall in love with me."

She smirked and leaned over, kissing him again. He looked dazed as she pulled away. "A blessing in disguise, huh?"

He grinned before looking up at the ceiling. "Next time, when you want her to realize something, could you pick something a little less dangerous?" Riley couldn't help the laugh that erupted from her, smacking his arm playfully. He smiled at her again and wrapped a strong arm around her. "So, what do we do now?"

She shrugged, leaning into him. "Let's just get through my recovery." She then looked up at him. "But I'm into this, if you are."

He chuckled and said, "Are you kidding? I've been waiting for this to happen since I was sixteen." He pulled her closer and kissed her. "I'm ready."

She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, wondering how she could've missed it all these years. She was after the wrong Wheeler brother, no wonder it never worked out between her and Ben.

What she needed was always right in front of her, and that was Danny.


End file.
